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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spell — letters
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fall — the season
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — in control
  11. pop — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — certain
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pop — soda
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — clever
  23. charge — a price
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com